The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-02-24

-T,o.-
''Then suppose you will tell it to me at
dinner" she said, with little tone of relief
81 am afraid if tell it at all must tell it
now," he said, glancing at the door.
'You must do as you think best," she said,
coldly, ''as it seems to be a secret after ALL
She hesitated. Kate is dressing, and will
not be down in some time"
$50 much the better. For am afraid that
Ned has made poor return to your hospi-
taEty by falling in love with her."
''Ilnpossible. He has known her for
scarcely a week"
Il am afraid we won't agree as to the
length of time necessary TO appreciate and
love woman l think it can be done in
seven days and four hours, the exact time we
have been here"
''Ycs; but as Kate was not in when you
arrived, and did not como until later, you
| must take off at least one hour" said Mrs.
Hale gayly.
"Ned can. shall not abatc second.n
"But are you not mistaken in his feel
ingsn she continued hurriedly "He GER
tainly has not said anything to her."
''That is his last hold on honor and reason
And to preserve that little intact he wants to
run away at once"
"But that would be very silly"
"Do you think sos" he said, looking at her
fxedly..
"Why not9" she asked in her turn, but
rather family.
an tell you why" he said, lowering his
voice with a certain intensity Of passion un-
like his usual boyish lightheartedness. Think
of man whose life has been one of alter
nate hardness and aggression, of savage
disappointment and equally savage successes,
who has known no other relaxation than dis
sipation or extravaganza; man to whom
the idea of the domestic hearth and family
ties only meant weakness, efTemnacy, Or
worse; who had looked for loyalty and devo-
ton only in the man who battled for him ct
his right hand i'll danger, or shared his pri-
vations and sufferings. Think of such a
man, and imagine that an accident has sud
denly placed him in an atmosphere Of purity,
gentleness and peace, surrounded him by the
refinements of higher life than he had ever
known, and that he found himself, as in a
dream, on terms of equality with pure
woman who had never known any other life
and yet would understand and pity his. I'M
agine his loving herl Imagine that the first
effect of that love was to show him his own
inferiority and the immeasurable gulf that
lay between his life and hersl Would he not
fly rather than brave the disgrace of her
awakening to the truth? Would he not fly
rather than accept even the pity that might
| tempt her to a sacrifcep
Quits Mr. Falkner all thata'
Nothing of the kind, assure you'll" said
he demurely "But that's the way a man in
love feels"
"Reallyi Mr.. Fallzner should get you to
plead his cause with Kate" said Mrs. Hale
with faint laugh.
II need all my persuasive powers in that
way for myself" said Lee boldly.
Mrs Hale rose. II think hear Kate COM
ing" she said. Nevertheless, she did not move
away. at is Kate coming" she added hur-
riedly, stopping to pick up her work basket,
which had slipped with Lees hand from her
own.
1t was Kate, who at once flew to her sisters
assistance, Lee deploring from the sofa his
own utter inability to aid her. dts all my
fault, too," he said to Kate, but looking at
Mrs. Hale at seems have faculty of up
setting existing arrangements without the
power of improving them, or even putting
them back in their places What shall 1 do?
am willing to hold any number of skeins or
rewind any quantity of spools. am even
willing to forgive Ned for spending the whole
day with you, and only bringing me the wing
of hawk for supper"
"That was all my folly, Mr.. Lee," said
Kate, with swift mendacity; @ho was all the
time looking after something for you, when
begged him to shoot a bird to get feather
for my hat. And that wing is so pretty"
"It is pity that mere beauty is not edible, +"
said Lee, gravely, "and that if the worst
comes to the worst here you would probably
| prefer me to Ned and his mustachios, merely
because I've been tied by the leg to this sofa
and slowly fattened like a Strasbourg goose. "
Nevertheless his badinage failed somehow
to amuse Kate, and she presently excused
herself to rejoin her sister, who had already
slipped from the room. For the first time
during their enforced seclusion a sense of re-
straint and uneasiness affected Mrs. Hale, her
sister and Falkner at dinner. The latter ad-
| dressed himself to Mrs. Scott almost entirely.
Mrs. Hale was fain to bestow an exceptional
and marked tenderness ON her little daughter
Minnie, who, however, by some occult child
| ish instinct, insisted on sharing it with Lee,
her great friend, to Mrs Halc's uneasy con-
sciousness. Nor was Lee slow to profit by the
child's suggestion, but responded with certain
vicarious caresses that increased the mothers
embarrassment. That evening they retired
early, but in the intervals of restless night
Kate was aware, from the sound of voices in
the opposite room, that the friends were
! equally wakeful.